Tornado rips through two states in Australia, injuring at least 20 people

Two caravan parks and a forest in Victoria and part of New South Wales were
hit by the tornado which touched down around 8pm local time, leaving scenes
of devastation which witnesses likened to a warzone.

12:04PM GMT 22 Mar 2013

A tornado ripped through parts of Australia on Thursday injuring 20 people, local media reported.

The storm struck around 8pm local time in the northeast of Victoria, razing two caravan parks and destroying a forest, according to local emergency officials.

It also affected parts of New South Wales, where another caravan park appeared largely destroyed. One young driver in the state had a lucky escape. Footage filmed from inside his car shows the tornado touching only metres from the road, with power lines exploding as they were hit by the twister. Daniel Clarke, 24, was forced to accelerate away at speed in a bid to escape.

Visitors to the caravan park and witnesses likened the scene in Mulwala to a war zone.